Lake Sammamish State Park, considered by many to have been long neglected financially by the state, will be annexed to the city of Issaquah as of Feb. 1.

The park may or may not be in line for some state funding for a new boat dock. But in any case, the park soon will have an executive director to aid with future rebuilding of the facility, said Chris Kovac, president of the community group the Friends of Lake Sammamish State Park.

The Friends will hire a director to help guide the organization and the park.

If everything goes according to plan, the city of Sammamish could set a date for a special election on the Klahanie-area annexation by the end of the year.

Plans to add the roughly 2-square-mile area onto Sammamish’s southeast corner have progressed since February, when Klahanie-area residents voted not to join the city of Issaquah. In April, the two cities announced a deal to transfer the unincorporated area, which includes about 11,000 residents, to Sammamish’s potential annexation area.

I am writing to call on Congressman Dave Reichert’s liberal opponent Jason Ritchie to stop the smear tactics. Following his campaign thus far, Ritchie has towed the party line and done little to differentiate himself from the partisan politicians in D.C. who are exactly what the American people are tired of.

Issaquah and Sammamish had the meeting equivalent of a group hug July 14.

After a year in which the two cities’ leadership have found themselves on different sides of several issues, both city councils and other city administrative staff met at Issaquah City Hall to discuss points of mutual interest. It was their first joint meeting since 2011.

“We all have one thing in common,” Issaquah Mayor Fred Butler said. “We certainly love our cities and we love representing them. We not only care about our communities, we care about the region as well.”

The event kicks off at 2 p.m. with a skate competition in the Sammamish Commons, 801 228th Ave. S.E.

Competitors must be in middle or high school and must fill out a registration form and register in advance, which opens at 1 p.m. Registration fee is $5/residents with school ID, $10/ nonresidents. Helmets are required to compete.

Issaquah’s City Council decided to release the Klahanie Potential Annexation Area on April 21.

Faced with a draft interlocal agreement, which the Sammamish City Council approved during its April 15 meeting, Issaquah’s council gave unanimous support for the comprehensive deal.

In short, Issaquah would agree to release the Klahanie area by the end of 2014 in exchange for Sammamish’s support of Issaquah growth designations, as well as that city funding improvements to Issaquah-Fall City Road to the tune of $30 million.

“Issaquah would agree to release the PAA to allow Sammamish to take immediate steps to incorporate it into its comprehensive plan and proceed with potential annexation,” Councilman Tola Marts said, introducing the agreement to the full council.